Australia has two contrasting faces for England cricketers: lovely beaches, bars and wildlife, but a human population weaned on sporting success.

Opponents are just that and never become friends, at least not until the contest has been settled, which it was, most emphatically, in Australia’s favour.

The full force of what lay in store for England, who won 3-1 here three years ago, did not hit them until they landed in Brisbane.

After three days of being heckled and tenderised in the pages of Brisbane’s Courier Mail, they were set upon by Mitchell Johnson and abused by the Gabba’s boorish crowd, a triple whammy that sent the team reeling.

Once Australia get ahead on their home patch, you cannot escape the cheap parochialism that infects even the most mundane encounters and England’s players have had their commitment and quality questioned at every turn, on and off the field.

Flower has always claimed that England knew this series would be tough, but the ferocity of that three-pronged attack in Brisbane surprised even him.

In England, the Ashes was a contest between two sides with good bowling attacks and vulnerable batting line-ups.

Johnson upset that dynamic, turbocharging Australia’s attack.

His 37 wickets were the seismic force that crushed England’s spirit and presented the opportunity, once it was clear that the tourists were shot, of a whitewash.

Cricket Australia also ensured that most of the pitches had bounce and pace but little turn.

England picked three giant fast bowlers for that very reason, but lost faith when none shone in the warm-up matches.

Instead, they opted for reliable Tim Bresnan, with his potential for scoring the odd fifty, though that quality took a dive once Johnson peppered him.

England’s bowlers, led more by Stuart Broad than James Anderson, who struggled to get the ball moving sideways, were still able to put Australia in trouble in their first innings.

In the first Test they were 100 for five, in the second 257 for five, 143 for five in the third, then 112 for five and 97 for five in Sydney.

Positions that promising are usually the basis for setting up wins but on each occasion Brad Haddin managed to make more than 50.

England’s batsmen were unable to compete, except in Melbourne, where they took a first-innings lead.

Yet even that was frittered away once Johnson bared his teeth.

Haddin was superb and with 493 runs at an average of 61.2 passed the record for runs in a series scored by a No7 or lower.

Yet as good as he was, Cook was complicit with tactics that verged on the incomprehensible.

The new ball is crucial for taking wickets in Australia and England used it well in the first innings of each Test.

The old one is a tamer beast though and whereas Australia had Johnson to uproot England’s lower order, England, so reliant in the past on Graeme Swann with his spin and Anderson with reverse swing, were unable to achieve the same effect.

That meant a clear advantage to Australia, which they took with menaces.

It was not just Johnson. Ryan Harris, with his heavy ball on a full length and Peter Siddle, with niggling accuracy, complemented the fast bowler perfectly.

The unit stayed together for all five Tests, a miracle given the scar tissue in Harris’s right knee, and it is hard to think of one that bowled better for so long – or were allowed to bowl better.

England were meek, especially their senior players.

Although Kevin Pietersen tried to rein in his extravagances, his careful game was just too cautious to get anything going for England.

Privately, he has indicated that he would like to be considered as the team’s vice-captain, but there will be many at the England and Wales Cricket Board nervous of restoring even a modicum of power to him.

Ian Bell came here as the scalp Australia’s bowlers most wanted but ended as someone they scarcely bothered with.

Cook often looked bereft and he certainly missed Swann, and Matt Prior when he was dropped, as advisers on the field.

The timing of Swann’s retirement was unbecoming of such a great servant to English cricket, but Australia’s assault on him was so brutal and calculating that, great competitor that he was, the only way to make it stop was to leave the room.

Cook has endured a batting slump before but nothing like the setbacks he has suffered here.

He now takes charge of the one-day team but if Ashley Giles, the one-day coach, has any sense, he will give him the first few games off, as Australia did with Michael Clarke after he lost the Ashes last summer.

Last time something like this occurred, the ECB had a review, brought in some new blood, won the Ashes three times in a row and went to No 1 in the world.

The soul searching will not be as deep this time and England, with Cook, Ben Stokes, Broad and Steven Finn, once he simplifies his bowling, will rise again.